We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful LaTonya Mosley. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with LaTonya below.
LaTonya, appreciate you joining us today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.
How did I scale up my business? In 2020, when I made the decision to officially retire from my full-time government job and really dedicate myself to my business, I had to make some dramatic changes. I invested in myself and business by learning as much as I could by taking a multitude of training. I invested in two different mentors. Yes two, each mentor brought so much knowledge and assisted in my growth. One mentor is very well known in the industry and the second is very hands-on and down to earth. She can relate to everything I felt I was going through.
I know my worth now more than I did prior to 2020. I have learned not to undervalue what I bring to my business and my clients. I have set a standard for what I expect from my clients as well as the type of client in which I want to work. I have decided never to take a client not fitting my brand and my values, no matter what the cost, just to say I have clients.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Hello, I thank you so much for this opportunity. My name is LaTonya Mosley, and I am the Owner, Lead Planner, and Designer for DKD and Associates, Event Planning and Management, LLC. I learned the business of event planning growing up in Ohio and assisting my mom when she would cater events for churches and family events. I loved helping her and my interest grew more and more as I got older. In 1989, I moved to the Washington-Metropolitan area and began a career with the Federal Government. Over the years, I moved throughout my agency finally settling in and making my mark in Human Resources. I managed the planning and execution of two of the agencies most prestigious awards ceremonies (one was quarterly, and the other was yearly). I am a wife and mother of three biological sons as well as two bonus daughters and a bonus son. Throughout my children’s lives, I was the parent who would volunteer to run the end-of-the-year sports banquets. I am the friend who, when invited to events, always ensures everyone has what they need. I planned both of my weddings, my son and daughter in love’s baby shower, and their wedding. When I attend weddings, I find myself critiquing and picking out things I would do differently. One day my husband said, “Why don’t you open your own business?”
In 2014, I launched DKD and Associates Event Planning and Management, LLC (the DKD is an acronym for my boys DeAndre, Kahlil, and D’Marcus). I have over two decades of hands-on experience coordinating events ranging from corporate retirement ceremonies to elaborate proposals. My company focuses on planning and managing events of varying sizes and purposes. My expertise is in understanding what it takes to make sure things run efficiently logistically, keeping everything within the events allocated budget, and ensuring the event itself runs smoothly. In July 2020, I retired from my government position and partnered with my best friend, James “Tony” Hollins, owner of Jamarcal Management. We merged our companies to provide our clients with full-scale event planning. We can handle everything from the planning of the event to the officiant, DJ, photographers, and caterers. DKD and Associates provides our clients with wonderful, memorable experiences.
DKD and Associates has a myriad of experience in events to include anniversaries, bat Mitzvahs, bridal showers, engagement parties, and graduations, with an emphasis on weddings, social and corporate events, retirement ceremonies as well as intimate parties. We provide full-service planning and decorating services to include overall coordination of all details including florals, linen, lighting, and any other design elements. Our goal is to create a wonderful experience without the stress when assisting clients through the process of planning their event. We are focused on making our clients’ vision come to fruition. We ensure every detail is taken care of and each event is created specifically for the client, and it is truly a captivating experience.
I personally love the planning side of the company; I have really started learning more about the decor aspect of events. I consider myself and have been given the mantra of the Do It Yourself (DIY) Queen. If I cannot purchase or rent it, I will most definitely make it.
The thing that sets our company apart from others is that we strive to create a total experience from the colors to any fragrances you may smell throughout the venue. DKD offers a variety of event planning and party packages from small, intimate gatherings, to large, full-scale corporate events. Our décor packages are designed to visually capture the theme of our client’s event. We appropriately utilize space to inspire the creativity and uniqueness of the affair.
I want your readers to know when they select DKD and Associates we will ensure you are treated with the utmost respect and handle your event as if it were our own. DKD is dedicated to presenting incomparable services and extraordinary programs for every client. We take pride in our work, therefore, with our years of experience, excellent coordination, and planning skills, we guarantee complete satisfaction when you allow us to add our unique flair to your occasion. Whether it is assisting in décor, baby showers, retirement events, full wedding planning, or consulting, we customize our packages to meet your needs to create wonderful experiences without the stress. Every great event starts with organized details. We pride ourselves in executing those details brilliantly along with offering you a variety of options to assist in making your event as perfect as you have imagined.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
I met Tony while working at an event center in Waldorf, Maryland. He and his wife would attend various events. I make t-shirts as a fun thing to do. They supported my business and really promoted me to their friends. Tony would constantly ask for a shirt with my photo on it. That became our running joke, and we quickly became friends. On his birthday, as a gag gift, I made him an extra small shirt with my photo on it. From that moment we have been together constantly. He has his own company managing artists and bands. One day Tony asked me if I would consider merging companies. He thought we could have a “one stop shop” with my event planning and him providing various forms of entertainment, we could provide our clients a myriad of options without them having to go to different vendors. We talked, weighed our options, and decided to become partner in one another’s company. We now can provide everything from the planning aspect, decor, wedding officiant, bands, emcees, and the DJ just to name a few of the company’s attributes. Since our merger we have been consistently moving forward and constantly looking for ways to keep reinventing ourselves in our marketability. He has taught me so much about the music industry and I, in turn, have taught him about the event planning business. He has made me a promise that he will make DKD and Associates a global entity.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
How did I scale up my business? In 2020, when I made the decision to officially retire from my full-time government job and really dedicate myself to my business, I had to make some dramatic changes. I invested in myself and business by learning as much as I could by taking a multitude of training. I invested in two different mentors. Yes two, each mentor brought so much knowledge and assisted in my growth. One mentor is very well known in the industry and the second is very hands-on and down to earth. She can relate to everything I felt I was going through.
I know my worth now more than I did prior to 2020. I have learned not to undervalue what I bring to my business and my clients. I have set a standard for what I expect from my clients as well as the type of client in which I want to work. I have decided never to take a client not fitting my brand and my values, no matter what the cost, just to say I have clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dkdandassociates.com
- Instagram: Dkd_and_associates_llc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dkdandassociates
- Linkedin: LaTonya Mosley